Mask

late 19th-early 20th century

Most masks of the Pende people have specific names that reveal their gender, meaning and function. However, it is rarely possible to identify a Pende mask without seeing the accompanying dress and dance. At first glance, the facial characteristics of this mask look female, expressing ideals of placidity and self-control. Yet men also share these qualities, and with its bulging, lumpy forehead, this mask most likely embodies a male. Traditionally, it is not uncommon for Pende masks to combine male and female traits.